


Blue In The Soul

by Pey119



Series: Blue [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Demigods (Percy Jackson), Complete, F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Parenting Troubles, Post-Graduation, Series, Snippets, Time Skips, Underage Drinking, matchmaker percy, nico is a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 16:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19338067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pey119/pseuds/Pey119
Summary: Snippets of what happened during the time skip of Blue In the Soul, Purple With Red. How Solangelo got married and how they adopted their daughter, what Lukas was up to, maybe some Percabeth





	1. Chapter 1

It was the year after they graduated that Will Solace planned to propose, his plans for the future bright enough to overshadow his fear. If all went well, his life would be amazing. If it didn't go so well... He'd see how Lukas had felt.

It was a week after he began to think about it when he knocked on Percy's door, a ring box already in his pocket. How he was going to propose, he'd never be sure. Nico would probably want something small but Will never knew for sure. Deep down, Nico was a romantic. He always had been.

"What?" Percy opened the door with a bowl of cereal in one hand. He only wore boxers, his body tan from his swimming throughout the summer. "What do you want? It's like seven in the morning."

"I know, the sun's been up for a couple hours." Will slipped in and started to pace, his hand gripping the box in his pocket. "Percy...I need your help. You're Nico's best friend. I need your input on how to do this."

"Will... It's seven in the morning." Percy rubbed his eyes. "What could I possibly have to help you with at seven in the morning?"

Will leaned his head against the wall, a blush slowly spreading over his tan cheeks. "I...I'm planning on...I'm planning to..."

"To...?" Percy ate another bite of cereal. "To get out of my house soon?"

Will shook his head. "This is serious, Percy."

"I am being serious." Percy defended. "I'm tired."

"I'm going to propose to Nico." Will blurted out. "So is that more important than your sleep schedule or should I go ask Annabeth?"

Percy dropped his spoon, it landed in the bowl with a clash of glass. "You're...serious...?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, I am. I think it's time."

Percy grinned. "Awesome! How are you planning on doing it?"

"Exactly." Will spread his hands. "I have no idea what to do. You know Nico better than anyone. What should I do?"

Percy set his bowl on the coffee table before cracking his neck. "How soon do you want to do it?"

"Soon." Will's hand moved to his pocket. "I got a ring and everything. I just...I just don't how I should do it."

"Leave it to me." Percy rushed to his room, coming back with a notepad and pen. "Tell me anything you have in mind."

Will sank onto the couch. "You're taking notes?"

"Shut up or I'm not helping." Percy started to doodle on the paper. "What are you thinking? Dinner? Or something private?"

"Nico would want private." Will mused. "He's not one for...public stuff."

"You're right." Percy agreed. "But what could you do privately...?" He tapped his pen against the notepad. "We need Annabeth's help."

"What? No!" Will sat straight up. "No, no, no. We don't need her help. Don't tell anyone, Percy. Not even Annabeth."

"She's not going to go tell Nico." Percy defended. "And she can really help us. I know she can. She's the smart one, you know."

"This isn't about smarts. This is about Nico." Will got up and began to pace again. "Nico. This is about him. I...I need it to be perfect. I need to make sure he won't say no."

"He wouldn't say no," Percy said. "I know he wouldn't."

"You don't know for sure." Will's hands moved to his hair and began to pull the blond strands. "He...he...he loves me. He said so himself. And I love him. But even if you love someone you might not want to spend the rest of your life with them. People who love each other break up all the time."

"Maybe if they ordered pizza..." Percy muttered to himself, now ignoring Will as he started to think of plans. "Pizza would be good. Maybe some champagne. I can get my mom to buy them some since they're underage..."

Will's face turned red. "I'm not drinking underage."

"In my mind, if you're old enough to get married then you're old enough to drink," Percy replied. "It's common sense."

"I'm not going to get arrested the night I propose to him." Will argued. "That'd be horrible."

"That'd actually be memorable."

"Percy."

"Fine, fine." Percy tossed the notebook on the table. "Go home. I'll call you later. I have an idea. I just need to make sure that it will...work out."

Will eyed the notepad. "Can I trust you?"

"Nico does."

"Fine." Will moved towards the door. "Thanks for this, Percy. I...I really had no clue what to do."

"Don't sweat it." Percy winked. "You'll just have to help me when it's my turn to propose to Annie."

"Annabeth will say yes no matter what you do." Will waved. "Bye. Don't forget to call me later."

Percy waved him away. "I have work to do."


	2. Chapter 2

Nico looked down at the small ring box, his hands shaking. "Are you sure, Percy?"

"I'm sure." Percy grinned. "I have it all planned out for you. Saturday you two order pizza. Champagne. Talk for a little bit. At midnight, you propose."

"Why are you so obsessed with everything going like that?" Nico asked. "Why'd you even ask me if you could help?"

"Because." Percy waved his questions away. "So, yes or no?"

"Yes..." Nico grumbled. "I'm just worried he's going to say no."

"He isn't going to say no," Percy promised. "I'm sure of it. Just trust me on this, okay?"

Nico nodded as he leaned back against the couch. "What pizza place? Do you think it matters?"

"Whatever your favorites agree on." Percy shrugged. "I have no idea what Will likes."

"Happy's," Nico concluded after a minute of thought. "We both really enjoy Happy's. It's his favorite and my second favorite."

"Okay, then Happy's." Percy summed up. "Are you going to order or should he?"

"I will," Nico replied. "He always messes it up when he does it. For some reason, that sunny oaf can't get a pizza order right."

Percy laughed softly. "Even if you write it down for him?"

Nico nodded. "Even if I write it down for him."

"That's rich." Percy stood up and stretched. "Now I have even more blackmail against him."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You won't ever have to use it."

"You never know." Percy cracked his neck. "I'm going to get myself a water. You want one?"

Nico shook his head. "I need to get going."

Percy crossed his arms. "You just got here."

"Yeah, well, I want to go see Will." Nico got up and stuffed the box into his pocket. "I'll let him know we're having date night Saturday."

"Can't you just text him?" Percy asked. "You were only here like ten minutes."

"And it was ten minutes too long." Nico glanced around before sitting on the couch again. "Fine. Get the Xbox ready."

"That's what I thought." Percy moved to the TV as Nico got his phone out. "God, I can't believe you're getting married."

"He could still say no." Nico reminded him. "It's not for sure yet."

"Nico. You're getting married." Percy threw an Xbox controller at him. "Just admit it already."

Nico couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, yeah. I'm getting married."


	3. Chapter 3

The night was going fine save for the butterflies in Will's stomach. The pizza Nico picked out was good, the champagne made him feel lighter. As he and Nico cuddled on the couch, he kept his eye on the time. At midnight...he'd...

As soon as midnight struck, Will turned to Nico. After grabbing the pale boy's hands, he forced a smile out through his anxiety. "Neeks...I...I love you. We've been together for a while now. We basically live together... I love you more than anything, Nico. More than anyone." He didn't mention Lukas' name but it hung heavy in the air. "I picked you and I'll continue to pick you time and time again." He got the box out of his pocket, opened it to show the ring he had bought. "Will you marry me, Nico?"

Nico's dark eyes filled with confusion, his hands going limp as he stared at Will.

"What?" Will asked, his hands starting to shake. "What's wrong, Nico?"

"I..." Nico took his hand back to take the ring box out of his own pocket. "I...I called date night to propose to you."

Will stared at Nico in silence. Nico stared back. As the minutes dragged by, they stared at each other as they wondered what the hell to do from there.

"Um..." Nico finally spoke. "I...say yes?"

Will laughed. Hard. "Oh my god, Nico."

Nico chuckled softly. "What did you want me to say? Hey, do you say yes to me?" He demanded. "You have to say yes, William."

Will continued to laugh. "I say yes, you idiot."

Nico tossed him the ring box before taking the one out of Will's hands. "Then put the ring on like a good fiance." He slipped the ring Will got him on, his heart fluttering at the sight of that ring on that finger. "Damn...we're actually engaged."

"We're engaged." Will pulled Nico close, starting to kiss his neck.

"Will! Inappropriate!" Nico blushed at the contact, making no move to pull away. "And we should talk."

"About what?" Will mumbled, his arms around Nico's waist.

"Why'd you pick tonight to propose to me? Was it cause I said date night?" Nico asked, wrapping his arms around Will's neck. "Cause the whole reason we had date night was that Percy thought that'd be a good way to propose to you."

"Percy?" Will asked. "Percy set this up for you, too?"

"Too?"

"He told me to propose to you tonight!" Will got his phone out. "I still have some of his texts. You're saying he told you to do it tonight?"

Nico facepalmed. "That damn matchmaker."

Will moved Nico's hand away from his face before stealing a quick kiss. When he pulled away, Nico was as red as the pizza sauce still on his chin. "What was that for?"

"You're cute." Will replied. "And we're engaged. Hopefully, we'll be kissing a lot."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Not in public."

"Whatever you say, Neeks." Will kept him close. "Whatever you say."


	4. Chapter 4

The bright sky and the cheerful atmosphere could do nothing to boost Lukas' mood. All human beings can persevere through almost anything, as long as they can see the end in sight. Yet where was his end? Where was his home?

Nothing was in sight besides decades of loneliness, of starvation and fear. If there was an end, it'd be the end of his life.

The horizon used to sing songs of freedom, used to beckon him from wherever he was. Roam, it would call. Roam to me. Roam free until you meet me. He still had that calling deep in his soul, but his soul was tired and worn. The calling was now a mere whisper, an echo of what it used to be. Still, it called him. Still, he followed it.

Lukas Evans. Vincent di Angelo. Blue. Whoever he was, whatever he was called. He was never meant to stay in one place long. His soul couldn't survive rooted to the ground. He didn't have roots, couldn't grasp on to an area. He went wherever the wind took him, he tried not to think about what he left behind.

But some nights the memories came. Some nights his nightmares were too painful. Some nights he almost went back.

Almost.


	5. Chapter 5

Percy opened the door to Annabeth with her arms crossed, Will and Nico on either side of her. She stared at Percy in silence, her gray eyes cold and calculating. "What did you do?"

"Hm?" Percy squeaked. "What did I do?"

Annabeth gestured to the two boys who looked just as tired as Percy. "You gave them alcohol? They're underage!"

"That's...that's why you're here at seven in the morning? To yell at me?" Percy blinked slowly. "Couldn't this have waited until noon?"

Annabeth pulled the other two boys in before closing the door. "Percy, sit. We need to talk."

"Annie..." Percy whined. "It's too early..."

"Percy, look at them!" Annabeth gestured to the two boys who had collapsed on the couch. "They're too tired to function!"

"Because it's seven in the morning!" Percy argued. "Nobody can function this early!"

Annabeth stared at him as if he was insane. "Percy. No more giving them alcohol."

"Fine, fine." Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Did they tell you what happened, though? That they got engaged?"

Annabeth nodded. "I'm happy for them."

"It was my idea on how to do it." Percy bragged. "You were wrong. I guess I am good at romance."

"Good at romance? You gave them alcohol and pizza and basically said 'go at it'."

"Yeah, romance."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and mumbled something about boys as she made her way to the kitchen. "I'll make them some coffee to get them awake. You can call Will's mother and explain to her your plan."

"Annie-"

"As you said, it was your plan, not theirs." she cut in. "And I don't want to tell her that her son somehow managed to get drunk off of champagne."

Percy sighed. "Fine... Just make sure they don't throw up on the couch."

"Oh, Percy..." she smiled. "That's also your job, I'm afraid. I have to go to work."

Percy's eye twitched. "You're leaving me with them?"

"As soon as I get this coffee made."

"You hate me."

"You know I love you."

"You love me?"

Annabeth nodded. "That's what I said."

"Then why don't you marry me?"  
The coffee pot fell from Annabeth's hands and shattered across the floor, glass flying across the tile and under the many objects of the room. Some embedded themselves in Annabeth's converse, the cloth-like material barely keeping her feet safe from the blast. Percy's bare feet, however, weren't so lucky. He yelped in pain as glass landed on the top, his body almost jumping into a chair to escape the covered floor. "Annabeth!"

His blonde girlfriend turned to glare at him, her cheeks red. "You're the one that asked me to marry you!"

"It just came out! I didn't mean it!"

"So you're saying you don't want to marry me?!"

"What? No-... I do! I want to! I was just trying to think of a better way to ask!" Percy felt his own cheeks heat up. "It just came out!"

Annabeth facepalmed, her smile half hidden behind her hand. "Percy..."

"Sorry."

"Yes."

"What?" Percy looked up at her in confusion.

"Yes to your question." Annabeth began to tiptoe out of the room. "I'll marry you. But I have to work and you-" She swatted at his head when she was within reach. "You have to clean this glass up and watch those boys."

Percy stood up to kiss her, his arms wrapping around her waist as she kissed back. They stood there for some time, basking in each other's company before finally, she pulled away to study his green eyes. "Percy...I have to go to work..."

"You'll come here afterward?" he asked. "We can tell my mom..."

"Yeah, yeah." she kissed him again before breaking it. "I'll be here after work. But I have to go, now."

"Okay..." Percy kissed her again, letting her eventually break it.

"Percy...I have to go..."

"Then go..."

Annabeth kissed him again.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Lukas..." Will put a hand on Lukas' shoulder. "I need you...I'll always need you."_

_Lukas grinned. "So you pick-"_

_"Nico." Will cut in, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry...I love Nico. But I need you as a friend. Promise me you won't disappear. I need you, Lukas. Please."_

_Lukas pulled away from Will, felt himself lose the touch of Will's lips for the last time. "Will... I can't believe you..."_

_"I love him, Lukas." Will wiped at the tears that ran down his cheeks. "I love him-"_

_"Then why did you kiss me?!" Lukas barked out, his own words mixed with tears. "If you loved him then why did you kiss me?!"_

_"I don't know!" Will admitted. "I don't know! I was an idiot, okay? I was an idiot." He looked away from Lukas, unable to meet those fake eyes. "I love him, Lukas. I love you but not as much. I'm sorry... I never should have kissed you. I never should have cheated on Nico. I was scared and stressed. I thought I had lost you again... I can't lose you, Lukas. Not again. Not after all the times that I've lost you before."_

_"You crossed a line, Will." Lukas wiped his mouth off. "You...you lost me, Will." He turned around, walked to the door not knowing whether to hurry up or slow down. Will...he loved Will..._

_"Lukas!" Will grabbed his arm. "Where are you going? What do you mean?"_

_Lukas pulled away from him. "I can't...I can't be friends with you, Will. Not after this. Not after everything that's happened between us."_

_"Please..." Will begged. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please. It's Christmas."_

_"Merry Christmas to the asshole, then." Lukas glared at him. "Now don't stop me again. Next time you touch me I'll make sure Percy's in here to see what you did."_

_"Lukas..."_

_"Goodbye, William." Lukas turned around again and left the kitchen, taking a back door to avoid the living room and the guests there._

Lukas woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat, the sounds of the city the only thing to greet him. As he tried to steady his breath, he looked around the small alley he had fallen asleep in. One of the smallest big cities, they called that place. He still didn't know where he was.

"Deep sleeper, huh?" a female face caused him to jump in surprise, his hand moving to his pocket where he carried an old switchblade.

"Who's there?" he asked. "I know that sounds cheesy but I can't see anyone."

The female he had heard stepped into the light from the window above them, chuckling to herself. She was around his age, her coat wrapped tightly around her. Skinny, skinny even for someone on the streets. Greasy hair that fell to her waist, a pointed nose, freckles. Maybe her hair had originally been red, but now it was just a mess of dirt and grime. Just like Lukas's was. "Sorry if I scared you."

"You...didn't scare me." Lukas's fingers uncurled from around his knife. "Who are you?"

"Lucy." she sat in front of him, her torn boots as muddy as his, if not worse. "Are you okay? You were crying."

"Huh?" Lukas moved a hand to his face, feeling the moist skin. "Oh...I guess I was..."

"Nightmares?" Lucy asked.

Lukas nodded. "Why do you care?"

She shrugged. "Fellow street urchin to the next."

"I won't be around long so there's no point in getting all chummy." Lukas rose to his feet, his stomach growling. "I've got to get walking."

"Where?" Lucy's eyes trailed over his body. "You don't look in the condition to walk anywhere."

"You don't look much better." Lukas snapped. "Why are you hating on me?"

"Hating on you? I'm trying to help you, you idiot." she stood up with her hands in her pockets. "As I said, fellow street urchin to the other. Can I walk with you?"

"You don't even know where I'm going," Lukas replied.

Lucy shrugged. "It's not like I'm leaving anything behind."

Lukas glared at her. "Why do you want to come? Planning on jumping me? I don't have any money."

Lucy gestured to herself. "You really think I can jump you? I can't even lift up a 200-page book."

Lukas rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to ask for the story behind that."

"Aww." she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "But it's a good story."

Lukas stuffed his hands in his pockets but didn't move her away. "Why are you being so nice?"

"Do I look like I have friends? Nope." she poked his side. "And you don't, either, sir. So we'll be each other's only friend."

Lukas moved a hand out of his pocket, letting it hand close to her waist. "My friends left me for a reason, you know."

"Lucky. I never had any." she looked up at the night sky, her green eyes lighting up at the sight. "The stars are out tonight."

"So?"

"They're beautiful." she reached a hand toward the sky, her pale skin catching his eye. She was sick looking, really sick. "Don't you think so?"

"Yeah..." Lukas didn't bother looking at the stars, not when her eyes were enough. "They are beautiful..."


	7. Chapter 7

It was his sixth year gone when Lukas kissed Lucy for the first time.

It was his seventh year gone when they made love.

It was his tenth year when he asked her to marry him, when she told him that she was pregnant.

That was also the year they finally went back to Ohio.

Was it love at first sight? He thought so. He had never had an interest in girls before, but ever since her eyes caught his that night, he couldn't stop thinking of her beauty. Her smile, her freckles, her dimples. Everything about her made his chest warm and fuzzy. When she smiled, he felt as if he was going to float away.

Together, they didn't care about the hunger pains.

Together, they felt safe. Even when they slept in the alleys, even when the drug dealers came to screw shit up.

Together, the conceived a child. Love. Love conceived that child, love was shared between them.

It was only with her did Lukas finally stop loving Will romantically.

Finally.


	8. Chapter 8

Nico was laying on his bed, his legs spread out and his hair sticking with the static to the pillow. He scrolled through his phone, scrolled through all of Percy's text messages. The older boy had blown up his phone the previous night, blew it up like never before.

Though halfway through all the messages, Nico still didn't understand what Percy was trying to say.

"Nico." Will entered the room with a nervous expression, those blue eyes lacking their usual happiness. Nico immediately sat up when he saw, knowing Will enough to know that something was wrong. "Can we talk?"

Nico nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Will sat next to him on the bed, leaning back against their new headboard. "Um...I just had a question that I want you to think about. You don't have to give me an answer right now."

"Okay..." Nico laid back down but turned on his side to face Will. "Tell me."

Will's cheeks started to darken. "I've...I've...been thinking about this...and I know that I want to...so it just depends on what you want..."

"Just tell me," Nico commanded. "What is it that you want?"

"A baby." Will finally admitted. "I want a baby. I want to raise a kid with you."

Nico's dark eyes stared into Will's blue orbs, his expression emotionless. "A baby?"

Will nodded nervously. "A baby... We could adopt one. Legal stuff might take a while but-"

"Sure." Nico shrugged. "If you want."

Will's desperate pleas disappeared before they could leave his lips. "What?"

Nico couldn't help but smile at his husband's confused expression. "You thought I was going to say no?"

"I thought you were going to put up a fight." Will corrected. "Or at least take a minute to think about it."

"Why should I?" Nico questioned. "You want one really bad. I can tell. And I...I want one, too."

Will beamed. "You're serious?"

Nico nodded. "I'm serious. But you do all the legal work. I don't want to deal with that."

Will kissed Nico's forehead, making the other boy pull away. "Okay..." Will laid on Nico, his blond hair falling into his husband's face. "Neeks...we're going to have a kid!"

Nico looked up at Will with red cheeks and happy eyes. "Calm down, calm down. It's not like we need to make one."

Will chuckled to himself as he tangled his hands in Nico's hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


	9. Chapter 9

Nico stared down at the sleeping toddler, a look of confusion on his pale face. Will couldn't help but smile as he watched, his arms full of different toys he had brought up to Bianca's nursery. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Nico kept his voice low to not wake the sleeping girl. "What do you mean?"

"You look like you're trying to figure out a math problem." Will put the toys in a bucket before getting a blanket, covering their new daughter with it. "How'd you get her to sleep?"

A faint blush spread up Nico's neck. "Nothing."

"Really? Nothing?"

"Nothing I'm going to admit." Nico fingered the baby monitor. "How do I turn this on?"

Will took it, turning it on before stuffing it in Nico's pocket. "Tell me? Incase you're not here and I need to calm her enough to sleep."

Nico flicked Will's forehead. "Never. You'll just have to try your own tactic. By the end of the month, whoever got her to sleep more times wins."

"Wins what?" Will asked hesitantly.

Nico thought for a minute before smirking. "Whoever wins gets out of chores for the month."

"The fact that we still call working around the house chores says something." Will laughed softly. "Fine, fine. I agree. Should we shake hands?"

"Shake hands." Nico shook Will's hand before pointing to the door. "Now. Time to binge watch anime."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was later in the month when Will found out exactly how Nico got Bianca to fall asleep. To tell the truth, he saw a side of his husband that he hadn't seen before. There was Nico, Bianca against his chest, singing a soft song in what sounded to be Italian. His voice was low and soothing, perfect for a lullaby.

Will had never heard him sing before and didn't know if he ever would again. Why would Nico keep such a gift secret?

Will waited until Bianca was asleep in her crib before confronting Nico, unable to keep the smile off his lips. "So."

"So what?" Nico asked, getting his phone out. "I have another point? Yep, I do."

"I heard you singing." Will admitted. "I was just coming in to start painting like we agreed on."

Nico's dark eyes turned defensive along with his posture. "You heard..."

Will nodded. "You have an amazing voice. Why are you embarrassed about it?"

Nico made sure Bianca was asleep before walking out, making sure to elbow Will on the way. "Don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Will promised. "Just promise to keep singing to her. She seems to like it."

"She likes anything," Nico replied. "She laughed when I stubbed my toe."

Will chuckled softly. "That's my girl."


	10. Chapter 10

Will had started to work a week before their marriage and had continued to move up at his company. He brought good money in, money that almost matched Nico's, who worked from home so he could watch Bianca. But one of the few things he hated about it was the fact that he couldn't take phone calls. It made him worry, made him anxious that he'd miss it if Nico called him about something important.

It wasn't until two months after they had adopted Bianca did he feel this fear as a reality for the first time.

He was punching out when he saw the ten missed phone calls, all from his husband. As soon as he did, his heart dropped into his stomach before speeding up, causing him to feel like he was going to throw up. What had he missed? Who was hurt?

"Nico?" Will finally got Nico to answer after three tries. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Will..." Nico huffed. "We're fine, now."

"What happened?"

Nico sighed heavily. "You really want to know?"

"Nico. What. Happened."

"Bi saw this commercial for macaroni and wanted some. We had a box but I've never made it before. I wanted to know how you make it for her." Nico explained. "She was crying and screaming for the macaroni and I didn't know what to do."

"..."

"Will?"

"You called me ten times at work for macaroni?" Will asked. "You seriously did?"

"Yeah? What's wrong with that?"

Will hung up and stuffed the phone in his pocket, the situation finally dawning on him. As he got in his car, he laughed harder than he had in years. Nico di Angelo, stumped by macaroni. He never thought he'd see the day.

Everything had a first, it seemed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he got home the kitchen was a mess. Butter covered the floor along with what looked to be milk. It smelled like something had been burned but also had the scent of fast food. The windows were all open, trying to air the scent out that wouldn't disappear for another week.

"Nico?" Will put his bag down as he looked around the house, careful as he walked through the kitchen. "Where are you?"

"Will," Nico got up from the couch and waved his husband over. "I'm in here."

"Why does it smell like Boston Market?" Will wondered. "Did you seriously get Boston Market because you burned macaroni?"

Nico scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe...?"

"Why?" Will looked for his daughter to find her asleep by the TV, a take-out meal beside her. "You know it makes her tired."

"That was reason one," Nico admitted. "The second reason was that they have macaroni and she wanted some."

"You should have just explained that you didn't know how to make it." Will reasoned.

"I tried!" Nico insisted. "I tried! She wouldn't stop screaming for macaroni! I was scared the neighbors were going to call the cops on me."

"For macaroni?"

"For macaroni," Nico affirmed. "That's our little girl."


End file.
